Pickerington North student dies in crash in N.C.

A Pickerington North High School student was killed yesterday afternoon when his family's car was hit by an unlicensed driver in North Carolina.

A Pickerington North High School student died today when his family's car was hit by an unlicensed driver in North Carolina.

Traven Keigley, 16, of Timberbank Circle in Violet Township, died at the scene of the crash on I-40, near the I-85 split in Hillsborough, N.C. The crash occurred shortly after noon.

Traven's mother, Julie Keigley, 49, and brother, Tyler Keigley, 17, were treated in the emergency room at North Carolina Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill and were released, said a hospital spokesman.

The family was traveling on spring break.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol's report said four people from the 2007 Nissan that the Keigleys were traveling in were taken to the hospital for injuries. Traven's father is Shane Keigley. The patrol did not have available the names of all the passengers in the Keigleys' car.

Traven, a backseat passenger, was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the car. The patrol did not have information about who was driving the car.

According to the patrol, the Keigleys were headed north on I- 40 when it was struck by another northbound car that had veered out of control. The Keigleys' car then struck another vehicle and went over a guardrail and down an embankment.

Jose Santos Tobias, of Charlotte, N.C., was driving the other vehicle. He has been charged with a misdemeanor count of death by motor vehicle and driving without an operator's license.

The Pickerington North website shows that Traven Keigley played soccer on the school's junior-varsity team.

jwoods@dispatch.com

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